Abstract
This sermon was preached at First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, on the Sunday morning immediately following the massacre of thirty-two Virginia Tech students in Blacksburg on April 16, 2007. This traumatic event—the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history—hit the church community hard. Many members are alumnae of Virginia Tech, had sons and daughters studying there now or in the past, and knew some of the victims and their families personally. The entire service focused on the tragedy. A particularly moving and meaningful segment featured a staff member's interview of a current Virginia Tech student who had come home. Whatever hope and comfort the sermon might have mediated owed in large measure to the sensitive and supportive congregation gathered for worship.
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